


Brienne Tarth, DDS

by Lunakitty



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Minor Arya Stark/Gendry Waters, Minor Gilly/Samwell Tarly, Minor Jon Snow/Sansa Stark, Minor Robb Stark/Margaery Tyrell
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:07:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26065495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunakitty/pseuds/Lunakitty
Summary: Brienne Tarth is a successful dentist with a thriving practice and great group of friends. Love was not on her radar until the fates intervened.
Relationships: Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth, Tormund Giantsbane/Brienne of Tarth
Comments: 2
Kudos: 58





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As I was writing another story my phone kept correcting Brienne of Tarth to Brienne of Teeth.  
> I decided to roll with it.

If anyone was the poster child for a perfect smile it was Jaime Lannister. 

Which made Brienne Tarth curious as to why he was in one of her exam rooms. 

Great Smiles was Brienne's dental practice. She did offer general dentistry but she was known for restorative work.

She breathed in for four counts, breathed out for eight just like Dr. Seaworth taught her in therapy years ago and walked into the exam room.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Tarth. How may I help you today?" she asked as she set her iPad on the counter and faced her patient. 

Jaime looked at her, confused for a few seconds before he smiled broadly at her and she saw the problem. Chipped canine veneer. Verneer?! Very good veneers.

"Yes," Jaime said wryly. "The best my father's money could buy but unfortunately no match for the granola bar I had for breakfast."

Brienne blinked at him, embarassed that she had not realized she had spoken out loud. 

"Alright Mr. Lannister. Let's take a look."

"Jaime. Please, call me Jaime," he said softly as he furrowed his brow. 

Brienne pressed her lips together.  
That would not happen.  
She would not say or do anything to imply any personal connection between them.  
She was here to provide professional, impeccable dental service, not to be friendly with Jaime Lannister of all people.  
She stepped on the pedal to raise the chair.  
"Please lie back, This should be a quick fix," she replied. 

Fortunately the chip was small enough to smooth out with a bit of contouring. 

Her dental assistant Gilly Tarly hurried into the exam room and began pulling out the instruments that would be needed.  
As Brienne was putting on her mask and shield, she caught Jaime looking at her curiously.  
"We've met before. Do you remember?"

Of course she remembered. She was a freshman in college and her father had asked her to attend the annual Baratheon charity gala with him.  
She knew it was her father's way to manipulate her into wearing a dress and mingling with his friends but he asked so sweetly that she agreed. 

Her mother had passed away when Brienne was fourteen. She threw herself into sports to keep herself busy and found her passion in lacrosse.  
She lived in athletic gear now. Playing lacrosse and training occupied her free time. It was just easier to stay in workout clothes. Plus being much taller and broader in the shoulders than most girls her age made clothes shopping a chore. 

She allowed her aunt to take her dress shopping and then to a spa to have her hair styled and make up applied the day of the gala.  
Brienne hated it.  
She didn't recognize herself in the mirror.  
Her long hair made her feel overly warm hanging down her back instead of up in its usual ponytail or messy bun.  
The dress felt itchy and the shoes pinched her feet.  
But her father was so happy. Her aunt actually teared up.  
So Brienne smiled and tried her best to be pleasant. 

The guests at the gala who knew her already went overboard with complimenting her.  
Suspiciously overboard.  
She suspected her father and her aunt asked them to lay the compliments on thick.  
She managed to slip away when her father got involved in a debate over regional tax rates with Mace Tyrrell.

She found a quiet table in the back of the room and slipped off the horrible shoes for a few minutes of relief.

She could hear disembodied voices from the hallway leading to the restrooms. 

"Did you see her? She's built like a tank. Those shoes are a true engineering wonder to hold her up."

"Well it's better than those ratty trainers she's always lurching around in."

"And the rat's nest hair."

"Five dragons that she's still a virgin."

"No way. I'm sure no one has breached the Isles of that Tarth."

Brienne froze.  
Her face flushed red and her heart pounded.  
She felt completely and utterly humiliated. 

"Stop, she's not so bad. She's got a great smile. And legs for days," Jaime Lannister was saying as the group of young men entered the ballroom. 

There was a long beat of awkward silence as the young men realized Brienne had heard them.  
Brienne's eyes flashed to the group, committing their names to memory. Robert Baratheon, Meryn Trant, Gregor Clegane and Jaime Lannister. 

She then stared resolutely at the table, shaking with anger .

Jaime grimmaced and waved the others on as he approached the table.

Brienne refused to look at him. She couldn't bear to in that moment. 

"I'm sorry for that," he said quietly. 

Brienne's jaw clenched.

"They are stupid, drunken assholes. Ignore them. You look lovely."  
Brienne shoved her feet into the horrid shoes and stood up. 

"I'm Jaime Lannister. I think our mothers were in the garden club together."

She spun around to flee to the ladies room. 

"Brienne! Please wait!" Jaime called after her.

She ignored him and hobbled to the ladies room as fast as she could.

She never attended another gala.  
She cut her hair short and hadn't worn a dress since that night. 

She dedicated herself to her studies and her workouts. She made the dean's list every semester and her team won the regional championship every year that she played. 

She did not date much. There was the occasional blind date she agreed to, mostly to please her friends or her father.  
She sometimes thought it might be nice to have a partner to share her life with but she had a thriving dental practice and a group of good friends. That was more than many people had.

In the present moment she shook her head in response to Jamie's question.  
"No, sorry. I don't remember. Please lie back," she said, handing him a pair of sunglasses to shade his eyes from the overhead lamp. 

Jaime raised a brow but didn't comment.

The procedure was quick and easy. No numbing was needed.  
Jaime smiled at his reflection in the hand mirror Gilly held for him.

Gilly removed the bib and Jaime swung his legs off of the dental chair to stand up.

"Alright, it was nice meeting you Mr Lannister. Do come back should you need us again," Brienne said as she pulled off her gloves and held out a hand.

Jaime straightened and took her offered hand and leaned forward as he whispered "It was lovely to see you again. I hope to see you again soon. But not here. Maybe dinner and drinks? Think about it." 

Brienne's jaw dropped as Jaime sauntered down the hall whistling. 

Gilly paused in cleaning the room.  
"You're giving all the details about that at girl's night tonight." 

Brienne sighed.  
That was one problem with being friends with one of her staff.  
Getting out of girl's night was damn near impossible.


	2. Chapter 2

"What?!" Margaery screeched causing Robb to poke his head around the corner to see what was happening. 

"Go away!" Arya, Sansa and Margaery said to Robb in unison. 

Robb frowned but continued on his way. 

Brienne and her friends Arya and Sansa Stark, Margaery Tyrell and Gilly Tarly were gathered around the kitchen island in Margaery's kitchen as Gilly poured them each a glass of wine. 

"Jaime Lannister asked you out? Tell us everything!" Margaery demanded. 

Brienne glared at Gilly. Big mouthed Gilly.  
"He did not. He was reflexively flirting a tiny bit, maybe. He wasn't serious. Besides, he's a patient," Brienne said dismissively before snatching her glass of wine and taking a soul soothing swallow. 

"I don't know. He seemed serious to me," Gilly the traitor said with a shrug. 

Arya, Sansa and Margaery stared at Brienne with raised eyebrows, clearly wanting details. 

Brienne tried to change the subject. "What is tonight's ante, Margaery?" 

Margaery narrowed her eyes at Brienne. "We're not playing poker tonight. We are playing truth or dare," she said with a calculating smirk. 

"Hells yeah!" Arya yelled and cracked her knuckles.

Sansa, always the prudent one, sighed. "Brienne, I realize we shouldn't pry..."  
Margaery interrupted her with an indignant huff.  
"But perhaps you could indulge us. We don't want a repeat of The Great Streaking Incident of 2018. Arya is a cruel mistress when playing truth or dare."  
Arya grinned as Gilly's face flushed bright red. 

Brienne sighed and took a fortifying sip of wine. "Alright. Circle of trust?" she asked looking around at each pair of her friend's eyes.  
"Circle of trust," they dutifully repeated in unison. 

She told them the story of her humiliation at the Baratheon gala.  
"So, you see? He was just being polite or worse, he was trying to embarrass me. It doesn't matter..."

Margaery turned to Gilly. "How exactly did he say it?"

Gilly affected a sultry sotto voice "Brienne, I'm dying to wrap those gorgeous legs around my neck..."

Brienne gasped in horror. Arya cackled. Sansa's eyebrows rose almost to her hairline. Margaery looked positively delighted. 

"He did not say any such thing!" Brienne huffed, glaring at Gilly. 

Gilly shrugged and sipped her wine. 

"Robb!" Margaery yelled, startling everyone but Arya. 

Robb popped his head into the kitchen, scowling. 

"We're trying to decide if Jaime Lannister asked Brienne out for real. Tell him what was said," Margaery waved her hand to prompt Brienne to speak.

Brienne glared at Margaery for a few seconds before looking at Robb.  
"He said he hoped to see me again soon. Perhaps for dinner and drinks," she said stiffly 

Robb considered this for a moment. "Yeah. Sounds like a date to me. Are you gonna go?" 

The ladies (other than Brienne) whooped in delight. Margaery crossed the room to reward Robb with a kiss.  
Robb, besotted fool that he is, grinned at his good fortune. 

"I...don't know," Brienne heard herself reply eliciting another round of celebratory whoops from her friends. 

"Okay. Enough of Brienne's sex life. Are we playing poker or not?" Arya was shrugging out of her leather jacket. 

"I don't...there is no..." Brienne sputtered.  
Sansa patted her shoulder.  
Gilly smiled at her as she grabbed the bowl of pretzels from the kitchen island.  
Margaery winked at her. 

Brienne felt this had gotten ridiculously out of control. She followed her friends to Margaery's bonus room and took her place at the table.  
Unable to stop herself, she said "For the record, he did not technically ask me out. There is no plan. Ergo..."

"We'll see," Margaery interrupted.

As Arya dealt the cards, Sansa leaned over to whisper to Brienne "If you are on the market, Jon's partner at the bar has asked me for your number."  
Gilly leaned over and whispered "Oh Tormund is lovely. He's quite taken with you." 

Brienne flushed. "Tormund? Really?"

"Really," Sansa replied with a grin.

"Oh...alright I guess..."

"Wonderful!" Sansa replied as she whipped her phone out of her back pocket and began texting. 

Alarmed, Brienne whispered "Who are you texting?"

"Uh...Tormund?" Sansa admitted sheepishly.

Gilly clapped her hands in delight. 

"Sansa Stark! I cannot believe you!" Brienne said, completely exasperated as Sansa's phone chimed multiple times in a row with text replies.  
Sansa grinned and showed her phone screen to Brienne. The replies were all from Tormund G.  
A big red heart emoji.  
A gif of a dog jumping in the air.  
A thumbs up emoji.  
A gif of a dog hugging a cat with a caption of "Best Friends"  
Another big red heart emoji. 

Brienne smiled despite herself.


	3. Chapter 3

Shortly after Brienne arrived at work the next morning there was a knock on the door used for deliveries.  
As she was the first one in the office, she sat her cup of tea down and peeked at the security camera feed.  
A teenaged boy stood outside holding a large vase filled with lavender roses.

Brienne opened the door thinking one of her staff would be so pleased to receive such lovely flowers. 

The kid checked his tablet. "These are for Brinnie Tarth?"  
"Brienne Tarth," she automatically corrected him before it hit it her.  
"Wait. These are for me?!" 

"Yep.They're for you. Can you sign this?" He turns the tablet toward her so she could sign with her finger.  
"Have a nice day, enjoy the flowers," he says giving her a jaunty wave as he headed back to his van with Highgarden Floral Designs painted on the side. 

Ah.Margaery must have sent them. Brienne supposed the flowers were meant to cheer her up after her abysmal losses at poker last night. 

Two dozen lavender roses seemed a bit excessive as a consolation for losing at poker night but Margaery could be very whimsical. 

After placing the roses on the reception desk for everyone to enjoy, she finally looked at the card. 

"Brienne,  
Despite your excellent work yesterday I have chosen a new dentist and I am officially no longer your patient.  
Please join me for dinner this Saturday evening at Privonne at 8.  
I would be happy to send a car to pick you up.  
My number is 010-555-1050  
Enjoy the flowers.  
I was told lavender roses symbolize feeling enchanted.  
I certainly am.  
Yours,  
Jaime 

Brienne could not and would not process Jamie's offer at the moment. She was far too busy plotting Margaery's sudden death under highly suspicious circumstances. 

Brienne hustled the roses into her office, closed her door and searched her contacts for "Margaery at Work."

"Highgarden Flower Designs. This is Margaery. How may I help make your day golden?" Margaery chirped at her over the phone.  
"You are aware that I posses very sharp dental picks that may be used gratuitously on your tender gums during your next cleaning, aren't you?"

Margaery squealed. "You got the roses!"  
Brienne rolled her eyes.  
"Aren't they just lovely?" Margaery sighed dreamily. "I helped him pick them out. Lavender roses mean..."  
"Yes, I know what they mean. Why are you helping Jaime Lannister?"

Margaery sighed. "Brienne, you deserve to be wooed by a handsome man. If you weren't at all into him, I would butt out...probably...but I think you are interested. You just need a little nudge," she said softly. "Besides, Jaime is not a bad guy, really," she continued in her normal tone. "And what was I supposed to when he came in? Let Loras flirt with him like the tart he is?" 

Both of the women chuckled at that. 

"I don't trust his sudden interest," Brienne admitted quietly. 

"I get that. Maybe seeing you yesterday sparked something. Seeing how confident and strong you are now. Look, no matter what happens we have your back. You know that, right?" 

Brienne smiled. "Of course I do.They are lovely roses..."

"Ha! I knew you'd like them! I told your new looovah..."

Brienne promptly hung up on Margaery and regarded her flowers.  
She looked up the Privonne restaurant online and perused their Saturday night menu.  
The prices were not listed. The descriptions of the food seemed pretentious.  
And formal dress was required. 

That bastard, Brienne thought.  
Logically she knew there was no way Jaime could know that she swore off formal women's attire forever after the Baratheon gala.  
Emotionally though, her worst suspicions that this was all somehow a plot to humiliate her seemed to be confirmed. 

She glanced at the clock. She had 20 minutes before her first patient. She needed to discuss this with someone understanding, kind and wise. 

Sadly, Sansa's phone went to voicemail so she called her ironman training partner, Sandor Cleagane. 

"He's a twat. Just wear your track suit, have them box up the dinner for you, give him the finger and leave." 

Next she tried Arya....but Gendry answered instead.  
"Ooooh, he's very good looking.You should go! Privonne? How fancy! Bring a big purse and pack up the left overs for me."

And finally she called Sansa again. 

"What if it's not a trap? What if he is genuinely attracted to you and wants to see if you two have chemistry?" Sansa asked. 

"Maybe," Brienne admitted.  
"But I am not wearing heels and a dress and..."

"Well, who says you have to?" Sansa interrupted her with a gentle laugh. 

"You have your tuxedo from Pod's wedding. It fits you like a glove. You looked amazing. Wear that! Just skip the bow tie and leave the top two buttons undone. Slick your hair back, add a coat of mascara, put on your sexy red lipstick, your diamond stud earrings and voila...supermodel!" 

Brienne considered this. She did look good in that tuxedo. 

"Take your own car, bring your own money to pay for your half if you'd like. And have your fully charged mobile in your pocket. You don't have to stay. And if he pulls any crap, he will have a very long list of your greatest fans waiting to pummel him." 

Brienne sighed.  
"Okay. I'll go. But just for an excuse to wear my tuxedo again."

Sansa laughed.  
Then she said in a serious tone "You are gorgeous exactly the way you are, inside and out. The man for you, if you want a man, will appreciate you for the real you. Remember that."

"Thank you," Brienne murmured. 

Sansa switched to her normally cheerful tone to say "Good luck. Be safe. Try to have fun and send us a selfie when you're done getting ready!"

"I will." Brienne chuckled. 

They ended the call after a few minutes of chatting.  
As Brienne picked up her iPad to officially start her day, she took a moment to lean over and sniff one of the roses. 

They really were lovely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeez Louise the typos I made!   
> I think I have corrected most of them.   
> Eeek.


	4. Chapter 4

Friday nights always included meeting up at Jon and Tormund's bar, The Crow's Nest, for a pint.  
Their group had a long picnic bench reserved for them in the back corner of the bar, perfect for people watching. 

Brienne decided to go for a quick run before getting ready to go out that evening.  
She was just walking back into her house after her run when her phone chimed. 

It was an incoming call from Tormund Giantsbane. 

Brienne stared at her phone in a blind panic.  
Just before the call went to voicemail, she pushed the green button to talk.

"Hello?"  
"Brienne? It's Tormund...from the bar. Jon's friend? Jon Snow? He's married to your friend Sansa.."

"Yes, I know who you are Tormund," Brienne chuckled.  
"Oh, good," Tormund said with a relieved chuckle of his own. 

"How are you?" Brienne asked, mostly to be polite and partly because she was far too nervous to tolerate any conversational lags.  
"Me? Good! I'm good! Great, in fact. Talking to you? I'm great!" Tormund boomed at her through the phone. 

Brienne winced and held the phone away from her ear. 

He cleared his throat and asked in normal volume "How are you?"

"I am well, thank you," she replied, slightly bemused. 

"Good, good. So um..I was going to try the new rock climbing wall at Rayder's Gym tomorrow morning. Sansa said you might enjoy that too. Want to join me?" 

Brienne bit her lip. She had been wanting to try the new rocking climbing wall.  
"Yes, I'd like that," she said, smiling.

"That's great!" Tormund boomed.

Brienne winced again. "Um, yes. What time should we meet?"

"10:30? And then we could uh, grab a bite to eat or a coffee?" Tormund asked, sounding a bit nervous. 

"That would be nice. Yes. I'll see you there. And um, actually I'll see you tonight. At the bar." she replied. 

"Great! Yes! Okay. Great! Okay. Bye Brienne," Tormund boomed.

"Looking toward to it. Goodbye Tormund."

Brienne threw herself face down across her bed. As relief flooded through her at having survived the phone call, she started chuckling.  
He's as bad at this as I am she thought.  
But thank the gods for clever Sansa.  
This date would definitely go better for them with an activity to focus on. 

She would have to bring Sansa's favorite lemon pie to next week's poker game. 

The Crow's Nest was busy that night. Brienne couldn't help looking at the bar when she stepped inside.  
Tormund glanced up at her and his jaw dropped.  
She knew she was probably blushing but she also knew she looked good in her favorite red jacket, black jeans and black silk tank.  
It had taken a little searching but she finally found her red lipstick and those silver hoop earrings Gilly had given her.  
She had artfully mussed her short blonde hair and replaced her fitness watch with a set of silver bangles (also from Gilly.) 

She was not tracking her heart rate or activity level tonight and she was having at least two pints. She might even dance should the spirit lead.  
By the gods, she felt reckless and wild. 

She gave Tormund a cheeky wave and flashed him her brightest smile.  
She secretly delighted in seeing the pint he had been in the middle of pouring start to overflow onto the counter. 

She chuckled to herself and headed toward the reserved table.  
A round of wolfwhistles greeted her from her girlfriends. She flushed happily and struck a pose.  
The women whooped and clapped in delight as Gendry and Robb grinned to see the normally reserved Brienne look so carefree.  
"You look amazing," Sansa said as the group shuffled to make room for Brienne.  
"Drop dead sexy!" Margaery cooed.  
Brienne couldn't stop her smile.

Just then Gilly and her husband Sam  
arrived. Sam stopped in mid sentence, stared wide eyed at Brienne and blushed furiously.  
"Yes, she does look even hotter than usual tonight, darling," Gilly said to Sam, patting him on the top of the head. "He'll be fine in a few minutes," she said to the rest of the group as they shuffled to make room. 

A few minutes later, everyone decided to try the new stout on tap. Brienne volunteered to let Jon know.  
The women in the group shot each other surprised looks.  
Usually when it came time to place their order, Brienne was already deep in discussion with Sam about their latest book club offering. 

Brienne stepped to the bar and Tormund promptly left a customer who was in mid- order to walk over to her. 

"Hello," he said breathlessly. 

"Hi Tormund," she grinned at him. "I'm here to place an order for the table. Pints of Howling Wolf Stout for all of us. No rush." 

"As you wish," he replied earnestly. 

Brienne laughed "The Princess Bride?' 

"Yes! Ha! Don't tell the lads but it's one of my favorites," he confessed, winking at her.  
"Mine too," she said thoughtfully. 

"Tell me you're a Wintertown Wolves supporter and I may have to propose right now," Tormund said chuckling. 

"I am," Brienne said softly. 

Tormund beamed at her. 

An image came to her mind of being cuddled on her couch next to Tormund watching The Princess Bride in between checking the night's football scores.  
It didn't frighten her.  
In fact, she liked it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bachelor number 1 Tormund Giantsbane

The following morning, Brienne pushed open the doors to the gym and headed toward the rock wall.  
Tormund was already there, deep in conversation with the gym's owner, Mance Rayder. 

She took a moment to observe Tormund. His black Crow's Nest t-shirt strained a bit across his broad shoulders. And she realized she had never noticed his muscular calves since he always had on jeans at the bar.  
She bit her bottom lip as she felt a fluttering sensation in her belly. 

Tormund glanced up and a wide smile bloomed across his face when he saw her.  
"Here she is! Brienne, come meet Mance," Tormund called out to her. 

Brienne dodged her way through the crowded machine area and reached out to shake Mance's hand.

"Ah! So this is the goddess Brienne. I am honored to finally meet you," Mance said with a twinkle in his eye as Tormund's face flushed red.  
Brienne raised a brow at Tormund.  
"My blessings upon you, I suppose?" she replied to Mance. . 

Mance threw his head back and laughed. "Come on you two, let's get you set up." 

The morning passed quickly. Brienne found climbing a challenge but she loved that it forced her to stay present and strategize her next move carefully. 

Tormund moved up the wall slightly ahead of her and was beginning his descent as she reached the top. 

She paused at the top of the wall and took a few deep breaths.  
She had spent plenty of Saturdays in the gym with Sandor or Arya but this was different.  
She certainly never felt butterflies in her belly when she saw the muscles in Sandor's back flexing.  
She shook herself from her thoughts and started her descent. 

She landed and grinned over her shoulder at Tormund.  
As soon as the assistants freed them of their climbing equipment, Tormund held up his hand for a high five.  
She couldn't help but laugh as she slapped his palm. 

After they said goodbye to Mance, they walked to the coffee shop down the block. 

Tormund proved to be very gentlemanly, opening doors for her, pulling out her chair at their table, jumping up to fetch her coffee and frittata when her name was called.

Brienne wasn't entirely comfortable with being attended to so much. 

She glanced up from stirring a splash of cream in her coffee and caught Tormund watching her.  
"What?" she asked, chuckling but suddenly self conscious.  
" I just like looking at you, that's all," he replied matter of factly as he dug into his own frittata.  
Brienne straightened in her chair and shifted through the emotions swirling through her mind.  
"You really do like me, don't you?"  
"Damn straight," he replied with a wink as he waggled his brows at her.  
She snorted a little laugh.

It turns out they had a few things in common other than their friends.  
Both of them considered a daily work out a priority, they both enjoyed many of the same movies, they both liked trying new recipes. Brienne enjoyed reading and Tormund enjoyed movies based on books.  
They diverged on their tastes in music which sparked a lively and amusing debate.

As the waitstaff began clearing tables and preparing to close shop for the day, they reluctantly stood and slowly made their way back to the gym parking lot. 

Brienne felt her heart begin to race as they reached her car.  
What happened now? Should she shake his hand? Hug him? Would he try to kiss her? Did she want him to? 

Tormund stuck his hand out. She felt surprisingly disappointed as she reached out to place her hand in his. 

"May I?" he asked as he reached his other hand out to cradle her hand between both of his.  
He held her gaze as he raised her hand to his lips and gently kissed the back of it. 

Brienne released a shaky breath. She felt a little jolt of electricity race over her body starting from where his lips touched her hand down to her toes. 

He smiled as he continued to hold her hand.   
"I'd like to see you again next week if you'll let me," he said softly. 

"I'd like that," she replied.

Sansa would be getting two lemon pies next week.


	6. Chapter 6

As Brienne stepped into the shower she considered the fact that she had another date tonight.  
This had never happened to her before.  
It made her a bit giddy and a bit nervous, truth be told. 

The date with Tormund was surprisingly fun. The rock climbing was exhilarating. She would definitely like to try that again.  
Tormund was also...different than she expected. Different in a good way.  
She had, to her chagrin, written him off as "not her type" because he was loud and joked around so much. But now that she had spent time with him, she felt guilty for judging him before she even tried to get to know him.

And in that spirit, she was determined to think positively about her second date though it did feel a bit as if she were walking into the dragon's lair going to dinner with Jaime. 

Jaime Lannister, renowned playboy, heir to the Lannister fortune, part time CEO, part time polo player, and full time smug asshole...or at least that's what she used to think.  
Was he different as well? 

As she dried her hair she tried to imagine how dinner would go.  
It was no use. She could only imagine herself tense and awkward. She shook her head, breathed in for four counts, out for eights counts and put on her diamond stud earrings.  
"Enough! Get on with it," she told her reflection sternly. 

She marched over to her bed and looked over her tuxedo.  
This was fine. It was absolutely fine.. 

She scrambled for her phone to call Sansa in a moment of blind panic.

Then she sighed, straightened her shoulders, dropped the phone and picked up the trousers.  
She was doing formal attire the only way she could stand it and that was that. 

A few minutes later, she was dressed and almost out the door when she remembered the promised selfie for Sansa.  
She checked her teeth for wayward lipstick and then struck a pose.  
"Ready for battle, Commander" she typed and hit Send.  
"You look AMAZING 😍 Go get em, Tiger!" was the quick reply.  
Brienne smiled and pocketed her phone and went off to date number two. 

The restaurant was as upscale as promised. As she followed the Maitre D' to her table she noted the plush red carpet, crisp white linens and crystal chandliers casting a soft, romantic glow over the room.  
Elegant music spilled from the grand piano set on a small stage at the front of the room.  
She nervously tugged at the lapels of her jacket and did her breathing exercise.  


And suddenly, there he was.  
Jaime Lannister was standing beside a table for two with a gorgeous view of the gardens.  
The fairy lights and laterns strung around the garden made for an almost magical backdrop.  
Brienne felt overwhelmed by the romantic setting and decided to try making a joke when Jaime smiled at her.  
Dear gods he was outrageously, unfairly, wickedly handsome.

Brienne resisted the urge to tug at her jacket again before she reached out to shake his hand.  
He simply took her hand, flipped it over, lifted it to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on her inner wrist. 

Brienne felt her heart beat stutter. 

"Hello Brienne. You look....divine," he breathed out looking her up and down as he moved to pull out her chair. 

She nodded her thanks and murmured  
"And you look handsome, as always."

He grinned at her. "As always?" 

Brienne flushed. "You are already aware you are a handsome man. My small offering on the altar of your ego can't mean much," she said stiffly as she sat and placed her napkin across her lap.

"Oh, but it does. It means a lot," he replied. 

Brienne raised an eyebrow at him.

"Did you know that I thought you were the most interesting girl in our circle back in our school days?" 

Brienne scoffed. 

"Truly. You didn't give a single damn what anyone else thought. I admired that."

Brienne bit down on her response as the waiter arrived to present their wine options and ask for their entre choices.

As soon as the young man walked out of earshot, Brienne straightened in her chair. "Is that truly a compliment, I wonder? I actually did give a damn Jaime. I did.  
I was excluded from "our" circle, as you call it, for most of my life. It was difficult not fitting in with the other girls. Not being included in their princess parties and sleep overs. Being called "Brienne the Man" behind my back."  
She took a shaky breath before continuing.  
"It all seems silly now, but back then? It was hard. What you saw as me not giving a damn was me actually giving a huge lot of damns but deciding to be myself anyway. I knew I was smart and a good athlete. I knew I would find my place in the world. And I have."

She sat back in her chair, suddenly tired.  
"I don't understand what we're doing here. You sat by and listened to all the things people used to say about me. And except for one night. That gods awful night, you never said a word to me. Why are you here now? What do you want from me?" 

Jaime was studying her while she spoke. As he glanced away, she saw a sparkle of tears in his eyes.  
She closed her eyes and shook her head.  
"If this is some kind of misplaced guilt you feel..." she began softly.

He looked at her sharply. "Brienne, no. I meant what I said. I always admired you. I was so stupid back then. Gods..."  
He scoffed a bitter laugh at himself.  
"My future was written in stone for me the day I was born. Who I could be friends with. What I would do for a living. What sports I would play. Whom I would date and then marry," he shook his head.  
"I hated it. All of it. But I was too scared to say so," he grimmaced.  
"Oh I had my secret rebellions. I've done things that I deeply regret..." he looked away from her and swallowed. 

"But always in secret. I never had the balls to stand up to my father. Or my sister for that matter," he frowned deeply and rubbed his hand over his jaw. 

"I never tried to make my own way in the world. None of us did. Except you. You were the one person, out of all of us who earned a scholarship, chose your own career. You left the circle and haven't looked back. And look at you now. Brilliant, successful, fucking gorgeous. What am I doing here? Have you seen you?!" he leaned back in his chair, breathing rapidly, eyes flashing in frustration. 

"That damned chipped tooth happened the day I made my own money for the first time in my life. The first day I felt proud of myself. Of course I went to you. I was finally able to...look you in the eye and feel worthy of you," he put his head in his hands and sighed. 

"Well, I suppose I am a good catch," Brienne said primly.

He raised his head and saw her wry grin. 

He chuckled at her and then waved over their waiter.  
"I think it's time for wine," Jaime said with a twinkle in his eye.  
"Most definitely," Brienne replied.


End file.
